Free entrance for Asian Sevens series SL battle to remain fourth….

Sri Lanka will face an uphill task of securing the fourth place in the Asian Sevens Series when they host the regional giants in the third and final leg at the Race Course International Rugby Stadium this weekend.
Sri Lanka and Hong Kong have both earned 18 points each and share the fourth place in the league table at the end of first two legs in China and Thailand.
However, Fazil Marija’s men will at least have to make semi finals if they are to secure the fourth place.
The Tuskers having defeated China in the Thailand leg will be confident of putting up a fighting display in front of what is expected to be a packed house in Colombo.

Sri Lanka who have already started their preparations for the crucial leg have been drafted into group B where they will compete against Malaysia and Philippines.
Sri Lanka previously defeated Malaysia 31-10 in the first leg and are favourites to top their group.
The defending champions Hong Kong will also look to end the Sevens campaign on a high note although they are very unlikely to retain the title, while Japan who have won both the previous legs are well on course to finish on top.
Hong Kong and China will fight it out for the top spot in group C which also includes Kazakhstan while Japan and South Korea have been handed fairly comfortable draws and are expected to finish first in group A and D respectively.

Meanwhile, in a bid to promote the game among the youth, Sri Lanka Rugby Football Union (SLRFU) have opted not to issue tickets for the upcoming third and final leg of the Asian Seven series, as the spectators will be allowed to witness all the matches free of charge.
The Chief Executive Officer, SLRFU, Rohan Gunaratane insisted that the Union considered this as a massive opportunity to promote rugby in Sri Lanka.
“We believe that this is a great opportunity for all the youngsters to come and watch probably the best level of Sevens rugby in Asia. The Union has decided to allow all the spectators to witness the matches free of charge and we are expecting to see a full house supporting the Sri Lankans,” he said.